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Kamen Rider Kuuga Chapter 1: Resurgence
Resurgence is the first chapter of the Kamen Rider Kuuga manga. Synopsis After being in a case of trying to apprehend a deranged pyromaniac serial killer, Tokyo Police Inspector Ichijo finds himself at the center of a battle that will change his life forever.... Plot An archeological expedition team has found ancient ruins in a concealed part of Mt. Kurougatake and have unearthed a sarcophagus. The researchers are fascinated by its design as it does not resemble anything similar to known artifacts of Japan from any century. One researcher notes it is similar in aesthetic to the Mayans, but another says that is impossible due to its geographical location and the age of it. As they begin to record their finding on camera, they open up the casket and see a mummy inside with strange veins connected to it and what appears to be a breathing apparatus and a belt on its body. The body begins to slowly move on its own and so does the coffin, revealing a second coffin that was covered by the first one. A dark energy comes from the body of the second mummy as it changes shape and becomes more muscular and demonic in appearance, finally resulting in the creature being resurrected and roaring as it rises. A collection of terrified screams echoes through the ruins as it emerges. A police Kendo Tournament is going on in Tokyo, with Inspector Kaoru Ichijo facing off against Detective Morimichi Sugita. Kaoru evades Morimochi's blows with graceful agility, which frustrates the latter. Kaoru goes into a seigen stance which briefly mesmerizes Morimochi as he calls it a "beautiful" example of one. He snaps out of it and tries to rush Kaoru, only to be defeated as Kaoru executes a centerline vertical strike across the head of Morimochi. This ends the duel as the referee calls out the winner as Morimochi failed to counter the attack. Kaoru tries to be a good sport and thank his opponent for the match, but Morimochi is frustrated and annoyed at first. He does however take a handshake and accept defeat, but promises not to go easy on Kaoru next time. However, upon Kaoru mentioning that Morimochi was a "hair's breadth away" from victory in the match, the simple cop thinks he is making fun of his hair and grabs him saying that Kaoru's hair is too long and he should cut it already. Kaoru apologizes for the misunderstanding and Morimochi walks away annoyed again, but admits that Kaoru's kendo technique is impressive. Later, Officer Nozomi Sasayama and Detective Sugita go to a crepe shop to celebrate their co-worker's victory with him. The two are drinking beer and enjoying a meal while the more humble Kaoru is drinking tea. This annoys Morimochi who wonders why Kaoru never drinks off duty, calling him "boring". Kaoru is distracted and not eating anything at first, mostly because of thinking about a serial murder case he and the other officers are working on. He thinks they need to prioritize finding a way to make their investigations more efficient before the killer claims another victim. Morimochi thinks he is getting hives from how good natured Kaoru is and can't stand it while Nozomi gets completely drunk after only one beer and agreeing with Kaoru about solving the case. Morimochi thinks they can worry about work tomorrow and shouts to the waiter to give him "as many servings of beers that are the same in amount as there are pitchers on a baseball team" and offers to buy everyone as many dessert crepes as they want until they vomit. The next day at the Tokyo Police Department 1st Division Criminal Investigation Branch, the police are investigating a series of four murders and thanks to DNA evidence have presumably found the culprit: Akira Harada, a 35 year old man who was previously arrested at age 21 and 25 for obscenity. All four of his victims were women ages 21-29 and were brutally murdered by the suspect forcing gunpowder into their bodies and then triggering a fuse to detonate them while they were still alive. Nozomi explains the pattern of the killings and the dates but Morimochi is impatient and fired up as he wants to arrest Akira, thinking the next killing will be on May 1st. The Chief is hesitant to begin an arrest until they find a pattern and a way to locate him. Kaoru thinks there is a different pattern than the one that Morimochi suggests. Kaoru looks at the method of killing in the murders, making the victim a "human firework", and deduces that Akira must have wanted to let his "fireworks" be seen. In order to do this, he would have to be somewhere outside the city limits and on days known when fireworks shine the brightest, during the new moon of the lunar cycle. thus, by using this fact, the next murder is going to be on April 29th. After the meeting, Nozomi is furious as she is disgusted with Akira's methods of killing. Kaoru says it is very likely the person they will be dealing with is insane. Morimochi confesses to Kaoru that he hopes he isn't the one to find him first, speaking of how he has a little sister around the age of the victims and he's sacred for her. He confesses if he comes near Akira Harada, he will kill him with his bare hands. Kaoru understands how he feels, but they must do their duty, referring to it as a seigen stance. He walks off and Morimochi is annoyed again how cool Kaoru tries to be. But, Nozomi is daydreaming about him and not paying attention to what Morimochi is saying. Outside the city, Akira Harada is trying to light a match and has his next female victim tied up and soaked in gasoline. He rambles in insanity about how he always wanted to be a fireworks maker as he loved them as a child, and she will be a pretty firework as he watches a sparkler. He is disappointed when the sparkler goes out, speaking of how beautiful things never last. He believes a shriveled up ginger root is a deity called Seihou Nerihoru and that she loves beautiful things. Akira wanted to be a sacrificial offering to his god, to become a firework so beautiful that she would accept him into whatever his deranged mind believes is paradise. However, he instead burned half his body and believes he was unworthy of being her offering. While in despair, he came across a "revelation", that maybe his goal was to "share" his dream with others. He says to the frightened girl that she is one of the lucky ones, chosen by the goddess to become a firework and wearing the "sacred dress" and stuffed with gunpowder as he dances in his madness. Akira then apologizes for his "sinful act" of lust to see the firework to his "goddess" and uses his lighter to set the poor woman ablaze, saying how jealous he is she will be a firework. She is set ablaze and the gunpowder inside her makes her head explode clean off and her body soon goes with it as a stream of fireworks erupt from the singed flesh of the corpse. Akria is delighted and laughs in a fit of insanity at his work. Kaoru arrives too late to save the girl, but just in time to witness the madman's evil deed. Akira wonders how the police could find him, but Kaoru says that a murderer of Akira's caliber usually goes too big on the spectacle and thus he was easy to find because of the big stream of light from the fireworks. Akira thinks he hears Seihou Nerihoru, who tells him that Kaoru will be a good offering to her. Kaoru does not believe in his deity and sees how disturbed Akira Harada is, noting the "goddess" is just a root of ginger. Kaoru tears Akira's delusions down, which enrages the madman who sees it as blasphemy and claims that Seihou Nerihoru does exist. Kaoru destroys the root and then knocks out Akira with a karate blow to the forehead. Kaoru tells the unconscious killer that if he was sane, Akira would see his delusions are not real. On a train the next morning, passengers are reading the news of Akira Harada's capture while a stranger in a hat and trenchcoat is suspiciously walking around. Once he gets to the back of the rail car, the stranger begins shooting strange webbing from his body and trapping the passengers on board as they scream in terror. Back at the Tokyo P.D., Morimochi is interrogating Akira Harada, but the killer has been silent ever since arriving at the station. He then speaks of how wrong Detective Ichijo was and there is a Seihou Nerihoru. He tries to kill himself to meet with his god as an offering by biting his tongue off. Kaoru sucks the excess blood out of Akira's mouth and removes the torn out part of Akira's tongue. Kaoru says the only thing Akira will face is the justice of law and he no longer has the right to choose suicide as an escape from it or be granted death until the court decides. Shocked, Akira starts to cry as he has no way out. As Akira is carted off to a prison hospital, Morimochi asks why in God's name did Kaoru save Akira as he doesn't understand his thinking. Kaoru explains he never realized he saved him and his "seigen stance" is how a police officer should commit to their duty: take everything they do with a level mind and without bias as that is what law is and he simply serves that. Ryuuzou Gouda calls Morimochi on his phone and tells him to forget the report on the Harada case as he needs back up because "something ridiculous" just happened, trembling as he makes the call. Worried, Morimochi asks where Ryuuzou is, with him saying in a quivering voice that he is at Tokyo Station and there is a massive pile of dead corpses. Morimochi tries to calm his friend down, but Ryuuzou freaks out and says that what he is seeing is something no human could possibly do. All 345 passengers on the train at that station are dead and their insides are missing, leaving nothing but lumps of sagging skin flesh with their clothes still on lying in the seats and on the floor. Morimochi says he'll be there and hangs up, but tells Kaoru he does not understand what is going on. Nozomi arrives and informs the two that Akira Harada's ambulance has not radioed in and he may have escaped. Morimochi says they should split up, Kaoru will try to find Akira Harada and he will head to the station. In a parking lot, Akria is strangling the driver of the ambulance and then slits his throat with his handcuffs. As he escapes, the lunatic rambles on about how he can resume his work for his goddess, only to run into the shadowy figure in the trenchcoat. The figure points up and Akira sees the remains of people's skins on a web above him. He sees the true form of the figure and hallucinates that it is Seihou Nerihoru, excited as he thinks his goddess has come for him. Kaoru arrives on the scene by tracking the ambulance's GPS, only to see Harada slowly melting and raving that his goddess is real and Kaoru was wrong. He screams that Kaoru was not correct as his body erupts into a grotesque pile of melting flesh and blood and Akira dies. Kaoru then turns around and sees a figure in a trenchcoat coming towards him. He demands the shadow to freeze and draws his gun, but the figure reveals it is not human and is actually a spider-like monster. Kaoru tries to open fire on it but bullets have no effect. Terrified and in disbelief at what he is seeing, the creature lunges at Kaoru, only to stop and hear a sound. By its body language, it is familiar with the noise as it turns around and an insect-like warrior in white armor appears on top of a building. Kaoru stands in awe as the spider monster is enraged upon seeing the figure. To Be Continued... Characters Kamen Rider Allies *Kaoru Ichijo *Morimichi Sugita *Nozomi Sasayama Gurongi Notes *'Similarities to the TV show:' **The archeology researchers at Mount Kurogatake accidentally unleash the Gurongi upon the world and are brutally murdered by Daguva. **The first Gurongi enemy in the manga series is the Spider Gurongi. **Kuuga first appears in his Growing Form. *'Deviations from the TV show:' **A greater focus is given to Kaoru Ichijo as the title character does not appear until the final two pages. **Readers do not get to see how Kuuga obtained his belt nor see him transform (though the sound of his transformation is written in sound effect kana, so it happened off panel). **Unlike the series which shrouded parts of what happened in mystery, readers get to see the unsealing of Daguva from Riku's tomb in full detail rather than in dark shadows during the night and through distorted camera footage the police found at the crime scene.